>>19861313I believe the decision this time was the result of the daily collaboration between Stardom's refereeing department, led by referee Daishi Murayama, and our medical and training team. Referee Murayama noticed something unusual with Kamitani and stopped the clock. This was a judgment that the injured area was not one that immediately required stopping the match—meaning it was not directly tied to her career—or of such severity, and it was also intended to prevent a repeat of past cases (such as the use of a feigned injury for victory at the 2024 Ryogoku event).
At the same time, as Starlight Kid pointed out with “This happened before, right?”, she never let her guard down, fully considering the possibility that it was part of Kamitani’s strategy. Ultimately, even though Kamitani revived during the referee’s announcement to restart the match and attacked before the reopening bell, Kid responded brilliantly, and the two continued an intense back-and-forth battle afterward.
As explained on site, treatment was provided by the doctor and trainer for Kamitani’s dislocation. Below is a disclosure of the exchanges from the time stop to the restart:
- Referee Murayama noticed Kamitani’s abnormality, checked the situation, and stopped the clock.
- Immediate instructions were given from the head table and to the seconds’ corner to call the doctor and trainer to ringside.
- After treatment by the doctor and trainer, the wrestler herself confirmed she could continue, and referee Murayama—as the person in charge of the match—judged it possible to proceed.
- After prompt sharing with me (Okada), the event director, the referee explained the situation to the audience and restarted the match.
